“On top of this, the report reveals the need to further reduce the number of civil staff positions and Air Force personnel by 315 and 67 respectively from the current establishment to comply with funding caps.

“It says that permanent positions will need to be kept vacant in order to fill temporary personnel requirements which emerge.

“All of this foreshadows a further shambles in Defence Force staffing and growing pressures from not having enough people to meet demands.

“To add insult to injury, after having made military personnel redundant in the ill-fated civilianisation process, the report notes a U-turn in the Government’s position with the conversion back to military positions of 36 civilian roles.

“Once again we are seeing evidence of National undervaluing the role of our military by insisting the Defence Force takes the axe to its staff,” Phil Goff said.